In an interview on Thursday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told Al Monitor that the Kurdistan Region has not threatened its neighbors following an Iranian drone attack on Monday, which targeted both Prime Minister Barzani’s private office and the home of the director of the KRG Security Council.

“We have not provoked or threatened the security of any of our neighbors,” said Prime Minister Barzani. “Why they’re attacking us is a question that I think has to be addressed to them,” he added, referring to Iran.

“They’re just trying to intimidate us and maybe drag us into something that we strongly resist, and we don’t want to be a part of this conflict," he said.

On August 17, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyed Abbas Aragchi denied that Iran was involved in the attack, adding that “nothing justifies the reckless attack on Prime Minister Barzani’s office” and that “Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors.”

“That’s what we heard, and they have officially condemned it … The vice president [of Iran] said the same thing,” Prime Minister Barzani said. “All we know is that these drones are Hadid-110 turbo, Iranian made, and they came from Iran. Then who has fired them? Who is behind them? Who is responsible for them?”

Prime Minister Barzani also added that it is the responsibility of the “Iranian authorities to find out how such drones that nobody else has could be used by someone else, and [how] they can launch them inside Iraq against targets outside the country. So that’s a question that I think the Iranian authorities must answer and tell everyone who is responsible for these attacks.”

He also expressed concern over the drawdown of remaining US training and support forces stationed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by September 2026 and the redeployment of U.S. Patriot air defense systems.

“I know the United States has decided to withdraw its troops from Iraq, and we support the United States to make its own decisions. We only hope that the withdrawal will not leave a security vacuum in the region. We want to continue our strong relationship with the United States beyond security cooperation. We want to expand our economic partnership and political relations. The Kurdistan Region will remain America’s most trusted and reliable partner in the region.”

In 2024, the Iraqi government and U.S. government agreed that the Coalition will completely withdraw from Iraq by September 2026. While troops have withdrawn from most of Iraq, some remain in the Kurdistan Region.

“We haven’t been able to acquire effective systems that can protect us against these threats,” Prime Minister Barzani told Al Monitor, noting that efforts are underway to obtain such capabilities.

“So far, we’ve been relying on the support that our friends, the Americans, thankfully, have been providing for the region, which has been very successful in intercepting most of the incoming missiles and drones,” he added.

“We are vulnerable, and these attacks can’t continue. Withdrawal of these air defense systems will definitely put us at risk,” he said. “I’m using this opportunity to call on our friends, all of our friends, to help us build these capabilities so that we can defend ourselves.”

Read More: Kurdistan Vulnerable Without Air Defense Systems: PM Barzani

On July 27, Prime Minister Barzani also told Kurdistan Chronicle reporter Wladimir van Wilgenburg that, after the departure of Coalition troops, the situation will change. “We are trying to speak with both Baghdad and Washington to see what the status will be after the end of the coalition mission here in Iraq at the end of September,” Prime Minister Barzani said.